Looks Like Rain
by Coneflower Adams
Summary: TOM AND HUCK 2! Probably my oldest fic ((and I mean OLD!)) I have, but have re-written it. An old friend of Huck's shows up in town as a new rivel of his and Tom's gains power.


Writer note: This is a 'sequel' to the Disney movie "Tom and Huck" that came out years ago. I wrote this when I was fourteen ((I'm twenty-one now :O)), and found it not to long ago in an old notebook of mine. It was like one of my first ventures into fanfiction waaaaaaaaaay before I even knew what fanfiction was. LOL. So, I have re-written it totally but used the same basic storyline. Enjoy!  
  
***  
  
Looks Like Rain  
  
Chapter 1: An Old Friend  
  
"Hurry up, Tom! We'll be late for school!" shouted Huckleberry Finn outside on the porch of Tom Sawyer's house.   
  
"I'm coming! Hold your horses!" Tom called through the open door. He snagged two sour cream muffins his Aunt Polly made that morning from the basket on the kitchen counter, and rushed through the door. He handed Huck one muffin then proceeded to scarf down the other. "I can't understand why you're so excited every morning to go to school."  
  
Huck answered with a mouthful. "Because. I never thought being learned could actually be useful." Just then, the school bell rang. "Race you!" He took off in full throttle down the dirt road leaving Tom in the dust.   
  
"Hey! No fair, you're taller than me!"   
  
Tom saw Huck slow down when he arrived in the schoolyard. The rest of the students were already pouring in the building. Tom had almost made it there when he slammed into something solid. The force nearly knocked him off his feet. He stumbled to see what he hit then groaned when he did. He had rammed into Tucker Nash.   
  
"You clumsy ox!" Tucker shouted. "Look what you did to my new books!"   
  
"Sorry, Tucker" Tom apologized. "I'll pick 'em up for you." He bent down to gather Tucker's books.   
  
"You better" Tucker growled. He had arrived in town only a month before and was already causing trouble among the other students. Tucker's father was a prestigious congressman who had retired after becoming ill with typhoid. Tucker literally had run a muck ever since his mother died two years before. His father had a hard time keeping up with him.  
  
"Okay" Tom said aloud then murmured, "Don't get your knickers in a knot."  
  
"What did you say?"   
  
"I said , don't get your knickers in a knot, Crabapple." Tom knew that comment would earn him a blow, but they were usually worth it. Tucker's boot tip connected with Tom's side, and he fell over with a thump.   
  
Huck had been watching the whole scene mutely from the school porch. He knew he couldn't fight all of Tom's battles and he wasn't about to, but something told him that Tucker wasn't going to back down if he didn't intervene this time.   
  
Huck stepped in-between Tucker and his friend. "Back off, Nash." Though Tucker was two feet shorter than Huck, he stood his ground firmly. Huck reached out his hand to take the books from Tom's hand and shove them against Tucker's chest.   
  
"That wasn't very nice, Finn."   
  
"Well, kickin' my friend wasn't very nice either."  
  
"Then what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"I might help my friend up." Huck turned, sticking his hand out to help Tom.   
  
"Why don't you join him!" Tucker pushed Huck's shoulder, making him stumble backwards. But, Huck regained his footing, throwing Tucker a dangerous glare.   
  
"I don't wanna fight, Nash."  
  
"What? Too chicken, Huckler."  
  
It took all his will for Huck not to slam his fist directly into Tucker's disgusting, toothy grin.   
  
"Is anything the matter, boys?" an authoritative voice cut through the tension. The boys whirled around to find Judge Thatcher there.  
  
"Just having a little disagreement about Tucker's manners, sir" Huck answered.  
  
Judge Thatcher turned sharply towards Tucker. "I thought I warned you Nash to stay out of these boys' hair."  
  
"Yes, sir, you did." He leaned closer to the Judge. "But, I thought my father paid you to forget about that."  
  
Judge Thatcher glared down at the boy. "We'll discuss this later. Now off to school with you all."  
  
Tom and Huck didn't stay around the schoolyard after the dismissal bell rang. They raced to their favorite haunt just outside of Hannibal city limits. They had just passed the city sign when Tom fell flat on his face. He groaned, mumbling something about 'the ground having a grudge with him'.  
  
"You okay, Tom?"  
  
"Yeah, but who tripped me, Huck?" he asked, rolling on his back.  
  
"Huck!" a sudden excited shriek rang out. "Now I don't think anybody else around is named Huck besides Huckleberry Finn." The mystery tripper appeared from behind a tree. "It's you!"  
  
Huck's eyes widened in disbelief. "If it isn't Haley Carrington, the most beautiful girl on the Mississip'!"  
  
Haley waged a finger at him. "You're still a sly tongue, Huckleberry." She threw her arms around his neck with a squeal. He lifted the girl off her feet and swung her around then set her down. "I haven't seen you in ages, Huck."  
  
"Where you been, girl?"   
  
"Been in Commerce for a while, but thought I'd try something new."  
  
"Well, I'm glad to see you made it here."  
  
The two stared at one another just taking in each other's presence. They're silence was interrupted by a throat cleared.   
  
"Oh, Tom" Huck said, finally noticing his friend again. "Haley, this is my friend, Tom Sawyer. Tom, this is my girl, Haley Carrington."  
  
Tom's eyes bulged, but he sustained his comments. He offered his hand. "Hi. I didn't know Huck had a girl. How long have yall known each other?"  
  
Haley accepted his offered hand. "Years, years, and more years. Wait, you never mentioned me?" she asked Huck.   
  
He shrugged. "Didn't think I had to."   
  
"Oh well, it don't matter." Haley started to walk down the path towards the river. The boy's followed. "We finally meet again! It's a miracle, let me tell ya. Tom, when me and Huck met, we were knee-high-to-a-chicken hawk. He taught me how to be the best girl knife thrower on the Mississip'."  
  
"We traveled along the river together for a long time when we were younger" Huck added. I saved Haley from getting her arse beaten by some river trash."  
  
"Hey, you better watch it. I was part of that river trash until they turned on me."  
  
"Oh, hush up, girl. What have you been doing in Commerce?"   
  
"Staying with a well-to-do colored family. They taught me some readin' and writin'."  
  
Huck grinned down at her. "I guess you're the most beautiful and knowledgeable girl on the Mississip'."  
  
Haley's smiled grew to threatening heights. The two stared at each other, forgetting about anything around them. That's when Tom decided to make his move back to town. The two seemed like they wanted to be alone.  
  
"Hey Tom, where you going?" Huck called.  
  
"Back to town! I got to get back before Aunt Polly whoops for rear when she finds out I haven't done my chores." He took off running.  
  
Huck made a face. Since when did Tom Sawyer get worried about a whoopin' from not doing a few chores? He blew it off, and focused his attention to his old friend.   
  
The two old friends strolled down the path, the river in sight. "So, you made friends with a colored family?"   
  
Haley looked to her side at Huck with a defensive eye. She didn't like his tone. "Yeah, what about it? They were a purely free well-to-do colored family from South Africa. The lady of the house taught me how to read and write and do mathematics. She was like a mother-kind to me." She hung her head, hiding the pain it caused from thinking about the lady. "Anyroad, what is with these fancy clothes and combed hair?"  
  
Huck looked down at himself then shrugged. "I got adopted by a widow."  
  
"You got adopted?!" Haley said in surprise. "I would of never thought you wanted to be a civilized folk. How does your Pap feel 'bout it?"  
  
"He doesn't know."   
  
"Oh."  
  
They stopped beside the river. Huck climbed up on a large rock and sat. Haley scooched on next to him. "Got a place to stay yet?"   
  
"No, just some porches but they haven't been too comfortable" Haley answered, tossing a loose rock as far as she could into the river.   
  
"You can stay with me" Huck said casually, fishing for a positive answer. "I don't think the widow wouldn't mind."  
  
Haley's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you sure?"  
  
"I don't think so, but if she won't let ya…" He leaned close, grinning mischievously. "I'll just sneak you in every night through my window."   
  
Haley placed her hand over his face and pushed him away. "I bet you'd love that, wouldn't you."  
  
"Speaking serious, Haley." Huck slid off the rock. He turned to face his friend, laying his hands on her lap. "I don't wanna see you left out in the cold without a roof over your head and a comfortable bed to sleep in."  
  
"And, why? It's not like we never had to go through that before."  
  
"I know. It's just I know how much better it is to actually have a home."  
  
Haley cocked her head, giving him a suspicious look. "Are you the same Huck Finn I knew?"   
  
He grinned again. "Why dontcha find out?"  
  
They stared at each other for a while, Haley sizing up her old friend; Huck just enjoying being with her again. Finally, Haley answered, "Fine. Let's get to that wonderful roof and comfortable bed you talk so highly about."  
  
They walked to town talking catching up on old times. They were surprised to find out they had been so close to meeting one another several times. Haley frowned. "I can't believe we were so close and yet so far!"   
  
"Yeah, but we're together now. There's the widow's house." Huck pointed ahead to a one-story, middle-classed home seated behind two buildings on the main road. A narrow path led them to a fairly large porch that housed three staircases on both side and one in the middle.  
  
"Very fine house" Haley commented as they walked in.   
  
"Widow, I'm back!" Huck called. He made his way to the formal room, Haley following. There sat Widow Douglas at a mahogany table sipping tea and entertaining guest. When their eyes caught sight of Haley, they greeted her with a snub of the nose. Haley just ignored their hypocrisy. She was more than use to it.   
  
Widow Douglas, sitting straight as a rail in her chair, set down her teacup. "Who may your friend be, Huckleberry?"  
  
"Widow, this is a old friend of mine, Haley Carrington. She's in town for a while and has no place to stay."  
  
"You want to ask if she can stay here?" The widow eyed Huck with acute authority.   
  
Huck nodded, not letting her gaze gnaw him down. "Yes, ma'am. I'd appreciate it."  
  
"I would too, Mrs. Douglas" Haley put in, unexpectedly. "I promise I won't be perminate."   
  
There was a long pause then the widow said, "I'll think about it. Will you please excuse yourself for now while my guest are here?"   
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
Huck led Haley outside. They sat on the front stoop, and keep quiet for several moments.   
  
"From what I saw, I doubt highly that she'll say yes" Haley commented, lying her head on his shoulder.   
  
"Naw, don't doubt the widow. She may look stern, but she has a soft side. She took me in, didn't she?"  
  
They stayed on the stoop for about another hour, talking as they watched the town's people go about their busy lives. The sound of the front door creaking open made Haley straighten and scoot slightly away from Huck.   
  
"Thank you for inviting us for tea, Mrs. Douglas" Mrs. Quinn said, speaking for her and her daughter.   
  
"I hope to have you back soon" Widow Douglas replied. Her guest walked down the stairs, not even sending a glance at the two kids sitting there. After a long, draw out minute, the Widow tapped her cane on the wooden spats.   
  
"Young lady, will you stand so I can get a better look at you."   
  
Haley quickly stood, keeping her head low as the Widow examined her. The girl before her wasn't much to look at. Her hair was most likely light brown at one time, but now it was dark and very upkeep. It hung in a loose braid half way down her back. Her skin was tanned badly from too many hours in the sun. She wore brown, tattered trousers and a very off-white button up shirt with a blue vest over it. This was a definite turn off for the Widow. Never had she seen a lady dress like that. But, she also saw potential. She'd say yes if Haley passed the test. She started off her interrogation. Huck watched from the stair in amusement.   
  
"What was your name?"  
  
"Haley Carrington, ma'am." At least the girl had manners.   
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Fifteen."  
  
"How long have you known, Huckleberry?"  
  
"Since we were little, about six I guess, we been knowin' each other. He lived with his Pap in a cabin in the woods, and I lived in a river camp not too far away."  
  
"Can you read and write?"  
  
Haley grinned. "Actually, I can, somewhat. I can do basic mathematics too."  
  
The Widow nodded approvingly. She keep her questions at bay for a few moments letting Haley squirm under her pressuring eye.   
  
"Can you do housework?"  
  
"Um…I guess if you count washing dishes and sweeping."  
  
"How long are you planning on staying in Hannibal?"  
  
"I wasn't planning on staying, but now that I ran into Huck, I'm not sure."  
  
Huck stood, stepping beside his friend. "Widow, Haley don't have no place to go and I'd like her to have a roof over her head. At least for a little while." He looked at her with a serious gaze. "I know you have room."  
  
The Widow took a little more time before saying, "She may stay." Matching smiles grazed Huck and Haley's face. "But if I catch you two pulling mischief together, she is gone. I'll see to it that she gets cleaned and dressed…properly."   
  
Haley threw one last perturbed look at her friend before being ushered into the house. 


End file.
